Section 504 Resource Center
Working Together to Support Every Student
Family • Student • Staff Resources
Accommodation Guide
The accommodations below are examples that may be considered by a Section 504 Team. Accommodations must be individualized and based on the student’s disability-related needs.
Guide: Parent & Staff Reference
Physical Environment
- Reduce visual clutter at the student's desk (e.g., remove unnecessary items from the desk).
- Seat near the center of instruction.
- Seat in an area with less distraction.
- Provide a study carrel to block visual stimuli.
- Use purposeful grouping with less distraction.
- Allow flexible or alternate seating due to not distract the student or others.
- Additional breaks.
- Allow earplugs or noise canceling headphones during seatwork/free time. Noise canceling headphones are not allowed to play music during the school day.
- Provide a daily visual schedule.
- Provide prior notice of changes in daily routines (e.g., fire drills).
- Allow access to a calming area in the classroom.
- Allow an alternate passing period.
- Allow an alternate passing period with extra time (2 additional minutes).
- Alternate location for lunch when requested.
- Hot pass to Student Services or Health Services. Applies only to the homeschool.
- Hot pass to the GLCA front office.
- Allow access to the restroom without delay.
- Allow the use of a water bottle.
- Allow sunglasses or a hat.
- Allow the student to wear a hat.
- Allow fidgets that do not distract the student or others.
- Allow access to have a personal smart device at all times to monitor glucose levels.
- The student may not use the device for ANY OTHER PURPOSE.
- Prior notice of transitions.
- The teacher will seat the student in a location the student feels most comfortable. The teacher will make the final determination.
- Hot Pass to a preferred adult.
- The teacher will assign the student to a group the student feels most comfortable with. The teacher will make the final determination.
- Allow access to personal snacks.
- Allow the student to carry a backpack or roller bag during the school day.
Instructional Materials
- Provide computer-based material paper-based when available.
- Provide the student a copy of the textbooks to keep at home when available.
- Allow the student to use graphing paper.
- If requested, provide the student with a copy of the teacher’s lecture notes and/or projections-based materials, when available.
- Provide written instructions with oral instructions.
- Block out extraneous stimuli from worksheets or reading materials.
- Provide a reading strip.
- Provide a study guide for new material.
- Reduce the amount of material presented on a single page.
Instructional Methods
- Frequent checks for understanding.
- Frequent checks for work progress.
- Require the student to repeat and explain directions to ensure understanding.
- Small group instruction when reteaching concepts.
- For non-speech classes, the student will be provided 24 hour notice of any required individual or group presentation.
- For non-speech classes, the student will be allowed to videotape required individual presentations at home and submit them to the teacher.
- For speech classes, the teacher will work with the student to develop strategies with the goal of presenting in front of classmates (strategies may include, e.g., prior notice of presentations; presentation videotaped at home; scaffolding/building towards presenting to the teacher, then a small group, and then the whole class; and frequent check-ins prior to the presentation).
- Paraphrase directions.
- Set clear expectations, give short concise directions, and establish a consistent routine.
- Provide written instructions with oral instructions.
- Simplify written directions and underline or highlight the significant parts.
- Give directions or tasks one at a time.
- Prompt the student to slow down when she is rushing through activities.
- Prior notice of changes in the daily routine.
- Frequent emotional check-ins with the student.
- The teacher will use “First” and “Then” language when giving instructions/directives.
- The teacher will not ask the student a question in front of her peers unless the student raises her hand to volunteer. If the teacher has a question he or she must ask, the teacher will ask the student the question privately and allow additional wait time for the student to respond.
Assignments & Homework
- If requested via email by the parent, the teacher will allow the student one additional school day beyond the due date to turn in a homework assignment. This accommodation may be used once per homework assignment. To receive this accommodation, the parent must email the teacher and request this accommodation on or before each assignment’s due date.
- Allow the student to turn in a missing homework assignment up to 3 school days from the date the homework assignment is posted as missing in PowerSchool without penalty, not to exceed the end of the quarter. This accommodation may be used once per assignment. To receive this accommodation, the parent must email the teacher and request this accommodation for each missing assignment. The email request must be made within three school days of the assignment being marked as missing.
- If requested by the student, the teacher will allow the student additional time to complete in-class assignments. This accommodation may be used once per assignment. The teacher will determine how much additional time is appropriate.
- If the student is absent for more than XXXX days, the teacher will reduce the size of assignments, exempt the student from assignments, or allow extra time to complete assignments while maintaining the curriculum. The teacher will determine which option is appropriate.
- Allow the student to type written work and/or use Speech-to-Text when available.
- Reduce the number of computer-based assignments/activities.
- Break long-term assignments into multiple short assignments with separate due dates.
- Reduce assignment size, exempt assignments, and/or allow extra time to complete assignments while maintaining the curriculum.
- Allow written work to be submitted via email without penalty.
- Limit repetitive assignments, particularly those covering material the student has already mastered.
- Provide assignments in large print.
- Have an alternate assignment/activity prepared for the student if the primary assignment/activity is causing the student distress.
- Allow alternate response methods on assignments (e.g., oral responses, voice recordings, typed responses, etc.).
- Allow the parent to transcribe written homework.
- Extra time on classroom activities.
- Allow the student to complete paper-based activities computer-based when possible.
Assessments
- Complete assessments in multiple sessions.
- Repeat directions.
- Provide a Hundreds Chart.
- Individual Testing.
- Large Print Paper.
- Provide Multiplication Table.
- Allow text-to-speech.
- Calculator (four function only)-Classroom Assessments.
- Calculator (online or handheld for allowed items)-State Mandated Assessments.
- Small group.
- Read Aloud to Self.
- Scribe.
- Alternate Location.
- Familiar Teacher.
- Frequent stop-the-clock breaks.
- Additional breaks.
- Extra time, not to exceed 150 percent of standard time.
- Paper-based.
- The student may use a large memory aid note card (front and back) when taking classroom assessments, including finals. The note card is intended to trigger information the student has studied but may have difficulty recalling due to his or her disability rather than provide the answer. The note card cannot include copied pages from the book, verbatim class note/lecture notes/slides, or contain full and complete synopsis of course materials. The student must submit the note card to the teacher for approval two days before the scheduled exam.
- Speech-to-Text
Behavior
- Allow additional time to allow the student to respond or take action.
- When the student engages in inappropriate behavior, the teacher will prompt the student to engage in appropriate behavior. If the student continues to engage in inappropriate behavior, the teacher will prompt the student to use his or her hot pass unless safety is an issue.
- The teacher will develop and use a daily behavior management plan.
- Reinforce desired behavior.
- Prompt to remain on task.
- Establish nonverbal cues for behavior monitoring.
- Use picture cue cards to remind the student what he or she should be doing.
- Display rules in the classroom and review them with the student.
- Create and use a school/home communication book.
- When addressing inappropriate behavior, the teacher will give the student an opportunity to give his side of the story before taking disciplinary action, unless safety is an issue.
- Prompt the student to use appropriate calming strategies.
Other Accommodations
- For Semester X, SY XX-XX, the student has XX countable absences (i.e., AEM, AEP, AEU, TR, and A coded absences) in (Course Title) as of (date). This exceeds the 9-day Board Attendance Policy, and therefore the student is at risk of losing HS credit for this course. Provided the student has no additional countable absences, the student will receive credit for (Course Title).
Note: Failure to submit a Treatment Provider Questionnaire (TPQ) may delay the 504 team’s decision on whether an attendance accommodation is appropriate. - The student will receive homebound services from XXX to XXX. The student will receive instruction in XXX for XXX hours per week.
- The student will attend XXX reduced day until from XXX to XXX.
- Bus transportation will be provided based on the reduced day schedule.
- The counselor and student will develop an organizational plan that is shared with teachers and parents. The counselor will regularly follow up with the student to determine progress and to adjust the plan as appropriate.
- The student will attend Elston XX, SY XX.
- The student will receive bus transportation to and from Elston XX, SY XX.
- Allow more than one study hall per semester.